The pattern of power and control

Diagrams to help understand violence

Women survivors of violence in Duluth, USA, developed the ‘Power and Control Wheel’. It is used internationally, and women in Aotearoa New Zealand have said that the model helps them understand the abuse they have experienced.

Domestic violence is usually characterised by power and control, with an abuser controlling their victims through coercion and fear in order to get their own way.

The Power and Control Wheel below shows how domestic violence is not only about physical and/or sexual abuse, but usually also involves a range of tactics of psychological, emotional and financial abuse:

One of the main ways abusers control and intimidate their partners and family members is through psychological/emotional abuse. The Power and Control Wheel helps women to see that the mind games, controlling behaviours and threats form a pattern of power that is used to dominate and control them and their children.

Physical and sexual violence, or the threat of it, is the 'rim' that holds the 'spokes' of the wheel together. Just one incident of physical and sexual violence – or even the threat of it - can be enough to make women and children live in fear. The wheel also shows that psychological violence can easily ‘slip' over into physical and sexual violence at any time.

The hub drives the entire wheel of violence, whereby the hub is the system of power and control used by the abuser.

There are also Power and Control Wheels to portray how violence affects children and same sex relationships.

The Equality Wheel

The Equality Wheel shows the changes needed in order for abusive people to become non-violent partners.

The wheels can be used together as a way to identify and explore abuse, then encourage non-violent change. For example, the ‘emotional abuse’ segment on the Power and Control Wheel contrasts with the ‘respect’ segment on the Equality Wheel.

For more information on the Duluth wheels visit www.duluthmodel.org.